This invention relates to an apparatus for converting an ordinary wet pick-up vacuum cleaner into an efficient hot water extraction type of cleaning system for carpets and hard floors.
The most common modern prior art systems utilize a permanently combined reservoir and canister type wet pick-up vacuum cleaner and incorporate a high pressure motor driven pump to force a hot water/detergent solution from the storage reservoir housed adjacent the vacuum tank, through a hose and a control valve, to a series of nozzles which discharge the washing solution as a spray onto the floor or carpet. The spent solution and dirt then are drawn into the vacuum cleaner through a pickup nozzle and suction hose connected to the vacuum tank.
Other earlier prior art systems are built upon the concept of an upright vacuum apparatus and incorporate a small reservoir in the handle which feeds a cleaning solution by gravity or by a spring-loaded bellows or bladder or the like, to a series of rotary brushes which work the detergent into the carpet or floor. A few of such devices have built-in vacuum means for picking up the spent solution and dirt but the majority do not. These types of apparatus use a high-foaming detergent which is allowed to dry on the carpet and then later is dry vacuumed to complete the cleaning process.
In general, the systems of the first type are effective for use on carpets and floors while those of the second type are rather inefficient since they remove very little, if any, of the dirt from carpets. Accordingly, these devices are used primarily only on hard floors.
Generally, the prior systems of the first type are ruggedly built, are relatively expensive to manufacture and are intended for sale to professional users or for rental service to businesses and homeowners rather than for mass marketing to individual homeowners.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an accessory compatible with many conventional wet-pick-up vacuum cleaners, which accessory converts the vacuum cleaner into a modern hot-water-extraction system for cleaning floors and shampooing carpets.
Another object of this invention is to provide an accessory of the foregoing type which can be manufactured economically for sale at a low price to meet the mass market.
A further object of this invention is the provision of an accessory of the foregoing type which is simple to operate and includes no complicated or costly components which might require maintenance, adjustment, or service in the field.
Still another object is an accessory of the foregoing type which may be removed from the vacuum cleaner and stored, when not in use, to permit the separate use of the vacuum cleaner alone for conventional cleaning purposes.
Still a further object of this invention is the provision of an accessory of the foregoing type which may be sold separately as an adjunct to existing vacuum cleaners or which may be sold as a combined package with the vacuum cleaner included.
Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.